Allergic to Laundry

Sunday, October 21, 2012 – Allergic to Laundry

Another Sunday, another three hours of laundry.  I love having a day off; I just hate what it always involves.  I did wash my sheets for the first time since I’ve been here though, which was probably overdue.  It’s amazing how hard it is to wash a set of sheets in a little bucket.  Ringing them out is even more difficult.  I either ring them out onto the part that is already dry, or part of it falls on the ground and just gets dirty again. 

My host-mom also has me put a capful of bleach in my rinsing water, which I guess helps keep things clean.  She’s been watching stuff by hand her entire life, so I feel like she knows what she’s doing.  I was worried that it would bleach my clothes, but I didn’t have that problem.  Unfortunately, between scrubbing my clothes on my left hand and the bleach, I’ve developed quite a rash on my left hand/wrist.  This happened last time I did laundry too, I think I might skip the bleach next time.  It might be that I’m just allergic to doing laundry by hand.  I really hope that I can find someone I can pay to do it when I get to post.  Looking on the bright side, I somehow got a bit of a sunburn just on just my right arm on Friday, so now they look pretty even. 

I tried to go to the forage today to get water, but for some reason it was locked.  This is not the first time that it’s happened.  I don’t really understand why it would ever be locked – if people need to get water to drink what does it matter what time of day they go?  I went at 3 PM on a Sunday too, not exactly a time that makes sense for it to be locked.  No one seems to know what the schedule for it is either; people just show up to see if it’s open.  One guy told me that it’s open before five on weekdays, so I’ll see if that’s true tomorrow. 

I’m still not feeling particularly homesick, but there are certain things and people that I have been missing, especially when I think about them.  Food is a big thing.  Ever since my friend from training brought up buffalo wings, I can’t stop thinking about them.  Cheeseburgers are another big one; and those stuffed Portobello mushrooms that I make.  Certain spices also – cilantro especially.  I’m really looking forward to being able to cook for myself when I get to post.  Hopefully there are a lot of options for food where I’m posted, but I’ve heard that it’s really hard to get stuff in the Grand North seasonally. 

Of course there is also my family, my best friend, my… non-girlfriend.  Then Broncos games, the new Judge Dredd movie, my dog, the debates, I know that the NHL isn’t on yet but that too.  As of today I have officially been in the country for one full month, so I guess I only have 26 to go!  I’m seriously not homesick though; I just want my nook to start working.  I have all of these books I got from other people and can’t put any of them on – what’s the point of having an e-reader if you can’t put anything on it?  Luckily I still have all of the Dark Tower books I bought on it, so I have something to read. 

From the Cameroonians I’ve been talking to, most of them don’t have a lot of positive opinions about the Grand North.  At least, they think that it is basically another country.  The climate is completely different, as are the clothes, culture, food, and everything else.  I’ve been trying not to listen to the opinions I’ve heard because most of the people I’ve talked to haven’t been there.  Luckily, the PCVs I’ve talked to from there sound like they really like it… I’m sure they’re being honest about it, right?  

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